Project Ignition Story of the Week: California Students Tap Community Partners to Inspire Safe Driving

Students at Eureka High School in northern California are seeing measureable results from their involvement in Project Ignition, a teen driver safety program funded by State Farm® and coordinated by NYLC.Apply for funding to support student-led teen driver safety promotion projects through Project Ignition. Applications are due Nov. 15, 2010. Visit www.sfprojectignition.com for more information.

Students at Eureka High School in northern California are seeing measureable results from their involvement in Project Ignition, a teen driver safety program funded by State Farm® and coordinated by NYLC. Throughout the 2009-2010 school year seatbelt usage increased by seven percent at the high school's campus, bringing it to more than 95 percent. With those results, students are emphasizing distracted driving and reaching out to other schools as their main goals for their third year of Project Ignition involvement, according to project coordinator and student Jaylea Cutter-Falk, and fellow student Nick Lewis.

But they aren't doing it alone in this northern California school district. "Through the students' partnerships with Humboldt County Public Health and local State Farm agent, Paul Nicholson, we've been able to triple or quadruple our funding for Project Ignition," reported Jennifer Johnson, service-learning teacher.

This collaboration has allowed students to host six “Drive Safe, Drive Smart” events in their own and neighboring communities. Partners are featured at these events, which are designed for teen drivers and their parents. Hands-on activities such as a go-cart course with simulations illustrate the dangers of distracted and impaired driving. "Students walk away from these events with a better understanding about the dangers of distracted driving — in a very entertaining way," said Lewis.

Lewis and Cutter-Falk rattle off additional partners critical to their Project Ignition program: California Highway Patrol, Eureka City Police Department, Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services, State Farm, Rio Dell Police Department, Eureka City Fire Department, John’s Auto Wreckers and Humboldt Driving School. Says Johnson, "The students handle everything, including all communication with our community partners."

Because these events are so popular, both on campus and in the community, the school is expanding to work more directly with schools in other counties, mentoring them in their Project Ignition application process, and sharing their Project Ignition plan. Eureka students host driving summits for other interested schools and participants leave with detailed curriculum.

Cutter-Falk and Lewis agree that Project Ignition has given them countless opportunities to develop their own leadership and communication skills. They've been asked to serve on the Office of Traffic Safety California Youth Council, the Humboldt County Youth Driving Coalition, and to present at the California Office of Traffic Safety's Youth Traffic Safety Summit.

But they describe the impact they've had on other students as being much more important. "Students tell us all the time we are making a change; that is an awesome feeling," said Lewis.

Student leaders, Jaylea Cutter-Falk and Nick Lewis, prepare for a test drive on their go-cart course using goggles.